Nov 19, 2008
The Daily Poverty Post.
Please excuse Bossy for not contributing to the Poverty Party yesterday, but she was sitting in the passenger seat of her friend Martha’s car–which is the subject of today’s Poverty post.
Bossy has always believed that pairing-up makes mundane tasks easier to take, and so for years Bossy and her mother have accompanied each other when running hideous errands. But last winter when the gas prices really began to rocket, Bossy committed to the idea of carpooling for all tasks, like grocery shopping.
Which brings us to yesterday.
Typically Bossy or her friend Martha will originate an email describing the thing they need or the place they have to go, and in doing so will rally support from the other, and they take turns driving.
Yesterday morning at 5 a.m.--which according to Bossy’s son isn’t morning at all, but rather very very late at night–Bossy emailed Martha to tell her she needed something from Ikea and she needed liquor and not necessarily in that order.
First they went to Ikea and marveled at the functionality of each of their inspirational set designs, and then they played the Which Kitchen Would You Get If You Had To Decide This Minute game, and then Bossy filled her cart with votive candles. The end.
Except it wasn’t the end, because next they went to Trader Joe’s, where Bossy’s only known enemy in the universe resides: the Food Sample Lady.
The Food Sample Lady must have a security camera trained on the parking lot, or maybe she pays a spy to stand near the carts–but the point is, the minute Bossy steps her big toe in the store, the Food Sample Lady disappears into the back room, taking all of her food samples with her.
And even when Bossy stubbornly plants herself there at the food sample counter, waving at the Food Sample Lady through her circular port hole window, the Food Sample Lady won’t emerge.
But Bossy digresses. Because next it was time for the liquor store, where Bossy and her friend Martha encouraged each other to buy cheaper and cheaper wines, even though they stood blocking the aisle while Bossy proposed her theory that cheap red wine stains teeth worse than good red wine, which Bossy attributes to the tannins or the legs and is there a single soul left who believes any of Bossy’s theories regarding wine?
But Bossy digresses again. The point: save on gas, shop with a friend.
Check out the amazing resource of participating Poverty Party bloggers below, because the list is constantly updating. And don’t forget to comb the comments for links to the latest Poverty posts across the web!
Seriously. I love your stories.
Okay, wait, you wanted cheap wine and you left Trader Joe’s and went SOMEWHERE ELSE to find it?? I’m not understanding…
I am just SO jealous that you have both an Ikea AND a Trader Joe’s within reasonable driving distance from your house! The closest Ikea and Trader Joe’s to me are in northern Virginia, which is TWO HOURS from Richmond. Gah!!!
Amity: Bossy’s state doesn’t allow the sale of liquor in anything but liquor stores. It’s a puritan thing, you wouldn’t understand.
That was good, Bossy! You put the candles in the cart, THE END. You did not check them out nor did you pay for them. You just abandoned tyour cart. That’s the way to satisfy the urge, and pull yourself out of debt! I put things in my cart all the time, and then I think it over and take them out. It’s amazingly satisfying!
I JUST had a party at Chez SSG this weekend and had hundreds of IKEA votives and Trader Joe’s wine around. I would have brought a friend, but the SSG Party Planning Frenzy makes everyone run for cover. ANYWAY! Come on over my way to see how leopard print can save you a ton of money. And yes, I said leopard print–it’s ALL class ALL the time I’m all about the class.
http://confessionsofaserendipitousgirl.blogspot.com/2008/11/thrift-rich-small-things.html
Does Bossy’s state allow beer sales on Sunday? In my state, you can drive to a bar and drink a beer or two or three on Sunday, but you can’t drive to Kroger and buy a six-pack or a bottle of wine to take home and safely drink there. It’s a clueless Baptist state.
LMSS buys her food and wine and votive candles at the grocery store. And yesterday the gas went down to $1.97 a gallon-YAY.
Ikea gives me anxiety attacks. It’s like being trapped in a maze
I agree with Bossy’s son – the only time I’ve ever seen 5 a.m. is when I stayed up late enough.
The Food Sample Lady is on paid retainer by Bossy’s husband to help Bossy keep that stunning girlish figure. Don’t be mad at him.
PS Put the votives back and step away from the shopping cart.
I got nervous when you mentioned Ikea; I personally have NO self-control in that place and would have fallen off the wagon presto pronto. But I would like to announce that I finally switched cell phone plans and I’m saving about $32.00 a month! Yay!
i wish i’d known bossy needed votives. i have about 34986435 white, unscented votives in my garage sale boxes. also? Ikea and Trader Joe’s? Biddy is totally jealous. Biddy’s small texas town has neither of those.
Oh, and cheap wine? Riunite is by far the best cheap wine i’ve ever tasted
I second the carpooling. Besides saving gas and money, one gains the emotional support needed for a successful Costco trip.
BeanPlate: Eating Well In Lean Times
http://beanplate.blogspot.com
Don’t get me started on food sample lady. They’re always just setting up when I’m there so the food is never cooked. Grrrrr…
Has bossy considered making her own wine? Just a thought.
Today’s poverty post: the 37.00 kick @$$ birthday party for two
http://jlogged.com/
You are too awesome but you must hear that every day.
Coupon for some Christmas shopping posted over at our site today. Not a true Poverty Party post but more of a “spend money to save money” kind of thing.
http://www.3giraffes.blogspot.com
Bossy,
First off, I love your poverty party. But today I laughed out loud because everyone I know plays the “what kitchen would you pick if you had to pick right now” game at Ikea!
Bossy have you and your daughter tried the candy cane Jo-Jo cookies (TJ’s oreos)? O.M.G. All I can say is I’m so glad they’re a seasonal item. And could your daughter make me a sculpted bust out of the minty middle? So, so delicious.
Let me recap. I have sold unwanted furniture, clothing, dishes, jewelry, household items on Craigslist and eBay. I have sold used CDs and DVDs. I have cut my grocery bill almost in half by cooking at least four nights a week rather than buying premade foods or high in preservative foods. I have exchanged pennies at the bank. I have changed cell phone plans. And as of two days ago (the same time you were being seduced by the Sample Lady) I was at the Trader Joes in Union Square in NYC learning about $2.99 Shiraz. I am currently having a glass after having bought roughly six bottles. (still less than $20). Yes, the cheaper wines that are higher in tannens stain your teeth with more tenacity. But with all the savings maybe I can now have my teeth cleaned properly this century!
OK. So I was in Ikea on Sunday and saw this woman walking around clutching this really sweet polar bear toy that I had secretly eyed up for the spud earlier. I didn’t buy it, because we weren’t there to buy him toys and I thought of Bossy’s poverty party as I looked at her – she surely didn’t walk into Ikea looking for a stuffed polar bear. Ikea: great for saving money on the stuff you came in to buy. Lousy for spending money on the OTHER stuff.
I believe there was a hairdresser or three that were at one point on Bossy’s Enemy List, but I could be wrong. Maybe I’m confusing enemy with ” I’d like to make a voodoo doll of this person..”
What? I have to say it AGAIN?
Trader Joe’s 3-buck Chuck. BUY A CASE.
OG
Not sure if these two recent Wall Street Journal articles would prove helpful, but here they are:
The Debt Diet: Ways to Trim Unsightly Bills
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122705041616939057.html
Will Shop for Food: A Grocery Battle Plan
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122714685462243371.html